Icons of Presence: Windows to the Soul
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Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies Volume 1 Issue 2 Article 10 2-7-2018 Icons of Presence: Windows to the Soul Cathy Bando Loyola Marymount University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/saysomethingtheological Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Bando, Cathy (2018) "Icons of Presence: Windows to the Soul," Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies: Vol. 1 : Iss. 2 , Article 10. Available at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/saysomethingtheological/vol1/iss2/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Theological Studies at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of LMU Theological Studies Icons of Presence: Windows to the Soul Catherine W. Bando Introduction Wisdom emerged from the nothingness of the desert during the early centuries of Christianity. Religious persecution and political unrest under Roman rule drove men and women to the deserts in the regions of the Mediterranean. They withdrew from the absence of all they knew to discover the essential truths of life. Thousands of people left everything; their homes, villages, and families to seek a freedom that was revealed through the isolation and solitude provided by the barrenness of the surrounding deserts. The wisdom literature that came from the hearts and minds of these men and women has endured for many centuries and is chronicled in the works known as The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. The sacred art of iconography emerged at the same time as The Sayings. The history, theology, techniques and the practices of praying with icons reveals a medium that integrated everything that was available at the time to express the transcendent wisdom that was articulated in the words of the desert fathers and mothers. Together, they laid a foundation for spiritual practice that has evolved through the centuries and has survived today in various forms. Political and economic unrest has plagued humanity for all of history and continues today. While the ancient wisdom of the desert has endured nearly eighteen hundred years, we continue to search for new ways of understanding eternal truths. Like the men and women of the ancient desert, we continue to yearn for new paths to freedom and understanding. The demands of modern life seem to be increasing in intensity as our daily lives are bombarded with information that is readily available through technology. The active but often meaninglessness of our lives makes it challenging to find time to seek the truth of peace and understanding that was encapsulated in words and images many centuries ago in the desert. Marina Abramović is a contemporary artist who takes art to extremes in search of truth and freedom. Her extremes are not unlike the asceticism of the desert fathers and mothers who abandoned their homes to live in the desolation of the desert. Her work can also be related to iconography which evokes a presence of the saint or Christian story depicted. While on the surface her work may seem sensational, her stated intent was to urge her audience to a place of freedom. Such freedom can be compared to the truths that were written in words and images many years ago in the desert. The purpose of this paper is to compare desert spirituality together with the sacred art of iconography and to consider how these early practices can be related to the work of the contemporary performance art of Marina Abramović. “Icons of Presence,” Bando | 73 Desert Spirituality – Origins of Christian Contemplative Life Christian monasticism first emerged in the desert areas of the Mediterranean during the early centuries of the Common Era. Thousands of men and women fled established communities in response to the oppression of Roman rule. Tensions from the Romans were not simply religious; there was a struggle among the people to control land and water and a peasant-elite emerged where certain villagers dominated the economy. Roman taxation was levied on villages as a whole, rather than on individuals, which drove peasant-landowners to disassociate themselves from villages. There was considerable social disruption among the established social communities.1 The crises in human relations contributed to the draw of early Christians to the desert and to the establishment of contemplative practices.2 Antony of the Desert (c. 251–356) is often credited as the founder of Christian monasticism. He left his Egyptian village in around 270 CE to seek the life of perfection inspired by the Gospel; it compelled him to sell everything and to follow Christ. Antony sold his birthright, left the world and spent twenty years in the solitude of the desert. His withdrawal from the world was followed by a return when he made himself available to others. The desert taught him wisdom and thousands of people were drawn to him. Men and women sought his counsel and emulated his life of solitude. They became known as the desert fathers and mothers and were considered ascetics who abstained from worldly pleasures to seek spiritual wisdom. They fled society and took command of themselves through extreme discipline which lead to an inner freedom.3 Their training included rigorous self- denial called askesis where they not only physically withdrew from the world (anachoresis), but they also demonstrated extreme self-control (enkrateia).4 An extreme example of asceticism was Symeon the Stylite (c. 388 –459) who lived outside for nearly forty years on a small platform that was located at the top of a tall pillar.5 The desert ascetics also fasted unceasingly and relied on sustenance from spiritual forces. It was recorded at the time that they were “fed by the hand of God.”6 The desert fathers and mothers started a revolution in Christianity that produced the wisdom literature known as The Sayings of the Desert Fathers.7 They cultivated a “counter- cultural way of life” of prayer where lives were transformed to the point of unconditional acceptance of a fragile world.8 The Sayings are filled with profound wisdom that continues to teach eternal truths to us today. During the same period that the Christian contemplative life was being 1 Peter Brown, “From the Heavens to the Desert: Anthony and Pacomius,” The Making of Late Antiquity, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1978), 85. 2 Brown, “From the Heavens,” 82. 3 Kallistos Ware, “The Way of the Ascetics: Negative or Affirmative?” The Way of the Ascetics eds. Vincent Wimbush and Richard Valantasis (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 3. 4 Ware, “The Way o the Ascetics,” 4. 5 http://earlyworldhistory.blogspot.com/2012/02/simeon-stylite.html 6 Tim Vivian, ed. and trans., “A Woman in the Desert: Syncletica of Palestine,” Journeying Into God: Seven Early Monastic Lives (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996), p. 44. 7 John Chryssavgis, “The Desert and the World: Learning from the Desert Fathers and Mothers,” Greek Orthodox Theological Review 54, no. 1-4 (2008): 141-2. 8 Chryssavgis, “The Desert and the World,” 148. “Icons of Presence,” Bando | 74 formed in the Mediterranean deserts, the sacred art of iconography was being developed as an aid to prayer and as a tool to communicate the Christian story. Praying with Icons: History, Theology, Technique and Practice History Icons have a rich history that can be traced to the earliest centuries of Christianity. Icons served as a vehicle for people to see the Christian stories. The materials used for icons ranged from small wooden surfaces that were used for individual private prayer to large iconographic frescos painted in underground catacombs for corporate worship to venerate the saints and to honor the dead. The emergence of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire in the early fourth century led to the construction of many beautifully decorated churches where iconographic images told the Christian stories to a primarily illiterate population. The use of images in worship grew to be controversial and in the eighth century icons were banned for approximately 50 years during a period called iconoclasm. Certain Christian theologians believed that the image of God should not be depicted. Following long and heated debates on both sides of the argument, in 787 CE icons were allowed to be restored to churches, although many had been destroyed. The practice of writing Byzantine icons and praying with icons has continued through the centuries and continues as a contemplative practice today. Theology and Technique In response to the iconoclast movement, theological arguments that supported their use were solidified and related primarily to the incarnation. Christ came from Mary who was human9 and humans can be depicted in images. Christ also came from God who could not be depicted in images. If Christ could not be depicted, he was not human and if Christ was not human and divine the entire Christian doctrine of salvation could be called into question.10 The Apostle John described that the invisible Word of God became visible in Christ when the “Word became Flesh” (John 1:14). The Word circumscribed God by becoming man. Similarly, the icon circumscribed God by conveying the nature of God. Christ’s physical nature could be represented in images and could be recognized as Christ. Icons were used as bridges to proclaim the physical reality of Christ while providing the eternal presence of God. The deepest meaning of the icon is that it serves as a connection between humanity and a transcendent dimension.